A Cursed Honor
by ccwrite
Summary: Everyone has a past. It lurks behind us, haunts us, and cannot be forgotten. This is Dororo's past, about how he became an assassin. Rated T for possible violence and darker themes. Note: OCs included. Time set before Keroro platoon. ON HIATUS, under construction. The whole story will be revised, I felt that I didn't spend enough effort and time on it.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer : I do not own keroro gunso or any character in it. I only own the plot and the characters that I have created myself.**

**Hope you like the story. This is my first story.**

* * *

**Part 1: The Beginning**

**Prologue**

A blue female keronian approached her officer, her ice blue eyes without a trace of emotions, and her lips not be seen with the mask that covered her face.

"Captain?"

"Yes?" replied the officer, an old, dark blue keronian with a mask covering his face. He has two glowing red dots positioned on where his eyes are supposed to be with one additional red dot on his forehead. A diamond edged shuriken symbol on his belly. At his age, he still remained strong and powerful, emitting a cold, dark aura.

" I will be resigning from Keron Assassin Corps tomorrow," replied the blue keronian, her eyes remain cold and still.

"Reason?" inquired the captain coldly, even though his mind is filled with surprise and curiousity. _Why,_ he thought, _she is such a fine assassin_.

"I will no longer be able to fulfill my role as an elite keron assassin now that I will be a mother soon. I am pregnant, " she replied.

There was a moment of silence. Sensing that her superior had been dumbfounded by her answer, the blue keronian broke the silence, " I wish you well," she whispered. Then she saluted to her teacher for the last time, and she turned away and began to leave.

"I am glad you are finally free," said the captain, smiling under his mask.

"Me too," she turned back and smiled too. Then she left, this time for real.

* * *

**Please review. More to come. This chapter is quite short since I don't have that much time. **


	2. Chapter 1

**I usually don't have time to update on weekdays, sorry. This is my first story, and it might be a bit boring...**

**Anyway, so the time forwarded by a few Keron years...**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The First Meeting**

"Wait! Wait for me!" screamed a small blue frog, panting as he chased his two friends, who he had recently met.

After a while, the blue child lost his friends when they took a turn at a corner.

He ran around, trying to find his friends, until he became lost himself.

"Run, faster! Faster I said. You over there, jump higher!"

"1,2,3,4. 1,2,3,4. Hurry up, dummies."

All movements had been performed with barely any sound and with an amazing speed. In fact, he could only see their shadows. The small frog was amazed and mesmerized by the strength and agility of those who were in training. He had always been sick and weak, and he secretly wished that he can become like them. Then he saw a scary-looking dark blue Keronian with two metal arms standing in front to him. He approached him from behind and asked, "Who are those people?"

The old Keronian was a bit startled since he was off guard. He turned around quickly, only to find a small keronian. Then he replied, "They are the students of Keron Assassin Academy." He stared into the child's ice blue eyes and wondered why they look so eeriely familiar.

"I..I want to be like them," the child said shyly.

The old Keronian knelt down to the child's eye level and rubbed the child's head gently with his hand. Then, unable to suppress his curiousity anymore, he asked, "You have your mother's eyes?"

The child was confused since the question came out more like a statement. But he decided to answer anyway, "Yeah...how do you know?"

He let out a laughter, ignoring the child's question. _How interesting_, he thought. "What's your name?"

The boy hesitated since his mother told him to not to tell any random stranger his info, but then his friends found him and yelled, "Zeroro!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Another few years passed...**

* * *

Chapter 2: Keron Assassin Academy

Zeroro had made into the selection process of Keron Assassin Academy. It was his first day. He bidded goodbye to his mother and walked into the front gate, crowded by other students and filled with excited noises. He turned around to watch his mother depart, feeling extremely nervous. He looked down at his feet,_ everyone looks so ambitious and confident,_ he thought. Then he took a deep breath and went to the meeting place for freshmen to be assigned into different teams.

Zeroro sighed, because he knew that he would probably be the last one to get called since his name starts with Z, thanks to his dad, who had named him.

A loud sergeant came to the students and started fussing about Keron Academy is not here to babysit them. He said, "I don't want whiny babies complaining. You stay with your team. Yo sleep, eat, train, and do most of things with them." Then he began assigning teams.

After about half of an hour, he finally got to the last team.

"Team 100. Yeroro!" the drill sergeant hollered, "Yo stand right there!"

"Yes sir!"

"Yororo!"

"Yes sir!" replied Yoruru, and he went to stand behind Yeroro.

"Zeroro!"

"Yes sir!" replied Zeroro and went behind Yoruru.

"Zoruru! Finally, phew," said the sergeant. Zeroro quickly raised his head to see who would be behind him since he had expected himself to be last. His eyes met another pair of eyes with light grey, almost white iris and black sclera.

The drill sergeant went on to explain how the schedule work and how their cabin number is corresponded to their team number.

The new students, now in teams, gathered at the grass field, waiting for the opening ceremony. On one end of the grassfield there is a stage.

Then the Colonel, who was in charge of the Keron Assassin Corps, came out from the backstage and walked over to the microphone to give a speech.

"Welcome to the Keron Assassin Academy. It is an honor to be selected into this academy. As all of you know, it is not easy to enter here..."

Team 100 was all the way in the back, so the members were secretly whispering when the drill sergeant went to watch other teams.

"He is the Colonel. He gives similarly corny speech every year," said Yeroro, glancing around nervously for the sergeant.

"How do you know?" asked Yororo, skeptical of Yeroro.

"Because my brother is in the assassin corps and he has graduated from here a few years ago," replied Yeroro. Then the Colonel finished his speech and walked down the stage. Another officer, a dark blue keronian with three glowing red dots on his upper face, came forward to the microphone to introduce himself first then to give a speech.

"Look! That's Captain Jirara. He is the best assassin in the entire Keron Army, although people don't refer to him that way since he has been the best for a long time and there is no one to compete with him. And also because he is friggin old," whispered Yeroro excitedly.

"He doesn't look that old," said Zeroro.

"Dude he is ancient! He has been in the Keron Assassin Corps since the third Keronian War," exclaimed Yeroro. "Anyways, he is a sadistic frog. He made students fight to death with each other, figuratively. Actually, every year there are students who die from exhaustion from his training."

" I don't even who this Jirara person is and I am already hating him based on your description. Hopefully he will not be teaching me," said Yororo.

"But that is the only way to become the best assassins. Every Keron assassin was either his student or his student's student. All top assassins are trained by him, sometimes he pulled out several fourth year students to start training earlier, " whispered Yeroro, darkness swept over his face for a second. There was a brief pause. The field was filled with Jirara's voice and the echos of the microphone. The wind blew gently.

"At least we wont get him until fourth year. You mentioned that he is ancient, maybe he will be dead by then," Zoruru joked, bursted out a laughter. All other members giggled. That was mean.

Then a giant dark shadow suddenly loomed over team 100. Zeroro shuddered, "I feel like someone is behind us, watching us."

"You are correct," said a low, hoarse voice. They turned around and saw the sergeant glaring at them. "Shut your traps now or I'll shut them for y'all," hissed the sergeant.

The sergeant continued to glare at team 100 for a minute or so, then he walked away.

"Jirara is about to make his famous dream-shattering and confidence-battering speech," Yeroro growled. He opened his mouth half way and was about to say something else but shut it when he saw the sergeant glaring at him.

* * *

**I will probably upload a few chapters every weekend. Sorry you have to wait. Very few sentence variations, kinda boring. Please review.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I came up with this randomly. It is boring, you can skim it. I wrote chp 3 and 4 in haste, so there might be some typos...**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Captain Jirara' s Speech**

"Good morning students! Welcome to the Keron Assassin Academy. I am sure all of you are very talented, taken into account that you made it in here. Every year thousands of students all over the planet Keron apply to here and only exactly 400 are accepted. Compliments end here. Out of those four hundred students, one hundred will fail and get kicked out or will drop out the first year. Out of the remaining three hundred students, one hundred of them are going to switch to other branches of Keron Army. Only about two hundred will graduate. Then the real competition starts here. Only twenty graduates will be selected to be in the elite corps, and only one, one! Will be standing where I am today.

"This speech serves as a warning to the new students in the simplest language possible. Being an assassin is not an easy job. If you are here just for the sake of being cool, then I kindly ask you to reconsider if what you are about to go through is worth it. The Keron Assassin Academy is just the beginning, what lays ahead is the hardest. About half of a graduated class will be dead or missing ten years after graduation. Half of the remaining soldiers will resign or honorly discharged. This is a game of survival, only the best of the best get to stay.

"The demand for assassins has never been high due to the nature of its job. Unlike infantries, assassins mostly stay in the back and wait for the best time to strike, and when they strike, they strike the most vital parts and devastate the enemies. We do not need many assassins to carry out these tasks, a few will suffice. There is very little mistake tolerance. You either succeed or fail. And if you fail, you will either be killed or captured and tortured. A few assassins who are more likely to succeed are better than many who are likely to fail. Now with advancement of technology, many jobs, including those of ours, can be performed by robots and machines. Only the ones with irreplaceable talent and skills are worth saving, in fact they are highly sought after. It is an honor to serve for Keron, and it is an even greater honor to know that you are an irreplaceable part of Keron and that Keron needs you. Unfortunately, this honor comes at a great price. There are many personal desires to be sacrificed. Friendship, love, body, and even life can be torn by the pursuit of this honor. It takes a toll on both the body and the soul.

"Please think about what I have just told you carefully. This is not a joke, or else why would I repeat it every year? Thank you all for listening to this warning, and I hope you all will have a nice afternoon."

A few more officers came up to speak and after that the students were led to cafeteria to have lunch.

* * *

**Now you know why the title is named that way...**


	5. Chapter 4

**This chapter is more exciting. Enjoy. By the way, this is not a one shot story. I have the plot planned already. **

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Sleeper**

After lunch the students had a tour around the school. Then they got their schedules and were shooed to their dorms. The drill sergeant had told them that they would meet their mentors in their dorms, and team 100 were very excited.

The dorms were a row of rectangular, white buildings with three floors. These kind of buildings are unusual on Keron since most of keronian buildings are colorful and in many different sizes and shapes. The buildings look cold and deserted despite of the fact that there are many students reside within.

"Whoa!" Yeroro exclaimed. Yeroro is a light green Keronian with emerald green, round eyes. His cap is grey. The symbol on his belly is a blue trident.

"The people here are strange, even the buildings here are strange!" Yororo said. He is a blue Keronian, a little darker than Zeroro, with oval eyes (like Taruru's). His cap is red, and his symbol is an orange flame.

Then they found the room numbered 100 and went in. They looked around the place where they would call home. The room was small and squared, and there were four bunk beds, two next to one wall and two next to the opposite wall, with an extra bed next to the right wall. The walls were white. There was a small restroom with only a sink and a toilet.

"Well, where are we supposed to take a shower?" Yeroro asked.

"There is a big bathroom down the hallway, and inside there are many shower heads," a voice came from where the door was. "I am Sergeant Nemumu, i am your mentor. Nice to meet you all." He is a aqua marine Keronian with round black eyes. His eyelids are droopy, his cap is white, and his symbol is a yellow Z.

"Sergeant, we don't have ranks yet," Yeroro saluted.

"Names are fine." Nemumu yawned.

"Yes sir, my name is Yeroro, sir."

"Blah blah whatever, i only want your names."

"Zeroro!"

"Zoruru."

"Yororo."

Sgt. Nemumu squinted his eyes and peered closely at Yeroro. "You have a brother dont you?"

"Yes, how'd you know, sir?"

"Ha! I knew it! You look exactly like him. He is a pretty good assassin and a decent guy."

Yeroro blushed at the compliments to his brother. "Do you know him personally?"

"We used to be close friends actually, until the competition got very tense. We decided to end our friendship so we can compete fairly. Just as Captain Jirara had warned..." Nemumu voice trailed off, his eyes became distant. Then he snapped back to the present and asked, "Your brother was against your choice, right?"

"Yeah..." mumbled Yeroro.

"I knew he would. I would too."

"Why? Do you hate your job?"

"No one likes it, though not everyone regrets it. I do regret it. It was the worst decision I have ever made. It is a curse." Nemumu laughed gently.

In the shower room, Zeroro stood under the shower head. Cool water ran down his body, washing sweat and dirt away. He was absorbed in his own world, recalling the day he announced to his family of his decision to join the Assassin Corps...

_(Flashback)_

_After his brother went to bed, Zeroro crept upstairs to his parents' study. The stairs squeaked. Zeroro's heart beat faster with each step, he could barely contain his excitement. Finally he was in front of his parents' study. He took in a deep breath and knocked the door gently._

_"Come in." Zeroro heard his father said._

_"What do you have to tell me this late?" his father asked, closing the book that he was reading. His mother was sitting next to his father, knitting quietly._

_Zeroro blushed, then he uttered, "I want to attend the Keron Assassin Academy. I have been accepted."_

_His parents' face frozed. His mother stood up and walked over to the window. Then she bursted into tears, for she had endured the same fate and was finally able to escape it. She was utterly horrified at what lays ahead of her son. She trembled, suddenly felt so small and so weak. She had never mentioned her past to her sons, and she wondered how and where her son had gotten this idea of becoming an assassin. And there is this famous curse..._

_Then his father, in an attempt to comfort his mother, said, "Calm down dear. Zeroro is still here." He turned to face Zeroro, "Why do you want to become an assassin?"_

_"I want to serve for Keron, it is an honor. And I want to be strong."_

_"Do you even understand what honor is? Look, Zeroro, you have always been frail and sick, and I do not want you to suffer more unnecessary pain." His father knew deep down that Zeroro was stubborn and determined, once he made up his mind, it is very hard to make him change._

_"I am not weak! Why don't you believe that I can do it?" Zeroro hissed, anger flushed through his face._

_"It is not that we don't believe in you, it is j-just..." His father was suddenly cut off by his mother._

"_It is just that we are afraid that you will never come back whole or even be gone!" His mother snapped. Her blue eyes were hard and cold. Zeroro was shocked, for he had never seen his gentle, soft-spoken mother snapped like that. "Do it, Zeroro, if your heart tells you to." His mother knew that his fate was sealed. Then she exited the study in haste, his father followed closely behind.._

_On the night before the first day of school, Zeroro's father crept into his bedroom. The door creaked open._

_"Zeroro?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Your mother and I have discussed about your decision. We want you to know that even though we are against your decision, we will still support and respect it, because it is not a crime and because we love you," he croaked. He removed his mask and bent down, then he kissed Zeroro's forehead, like a baby. "Your mother will accompany you tomorrow. I am sorry that I cannot go. Good night, darling."_

_"Good night," Zeroro tried to muffle his nasal sound with his pillow._

Zeroro wondered if he had made the right decision. Jirara's speech echoed in his mind_..."Friendship, love, body, and even life can be torn by the pursuit of this honor."_

He wondered why he is here. He wanted to serve Keron, to be strong, and to... fit in, to have others respect him...

Then a hand was placed on his shoulder. Startled, Zeroro turned around and saw Zoruru staring at him. "Zeroro, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am fine, just thinking about something."

"Well, you have been standing under that shower for the past five minutes without moving."


	6. Chapter 5

**I will upload one chapter at a time. The story progesses very slowly, so some parts will be kinda boring.**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Sleeper and His Pet Peeves, and the Daily Routine

There was a row of white tall buildings. On the buildings were many rows of square windows. A window on the third floor shone a dim, yellow light. A small, dark figure of a Keronian can be seen through the window. He rose, took a few steps toward the window, and knelt down. Then the light went out.

"Keep the small lamp on!" shouted Nemumu.

"Why? Are you afraid of dark? Don't mentors have their own rooms?" Yororo teased.

"Damn it! I said just turn on the damn lamp! We do have our own rooms, but we were 'advised' to stay with you little children for safety reasons. You don't know how crazy you kids can be. Last year a few students made a bunk bed topple over and injured themselves. Go figure."

"Okay, calm down. Geez, this place is full of crazy people." Yororo groaned, then he rose from his bed again to turn on the lamp.

"Indeed."

"...O-O..."

Zoruru's bed was under Zeroro's, and he gently kicked Zeroro's bed. "Zeroro, are you asleep?"

"Hm? Not yet."

"Are you bored? You wanna get some fresh air outside?"

"Um...But I think we are not supposed to get out..."

"C'mon Zeroro." Then Zoruru went to the door and watched Zeroro to see if he is going to follow. Zeroro hesitated, then he reluctantly climbed out of his bed and followed.

Zoruru observed Nemumu for a few seconds and determined, or rather decided, that he was dead asleep.

Zoruru and Zeroro went to the rooftop of the dorm and laid on the floor, watching the stars. The night was cool with gentle breeze. The sky was so clear that there were millions of stars shining through. The shiny stars stood out from the black velvet of night, shedding gentle assurance of safety.

"I like watching stars at night because they give me hope and calm me down."

Zeroro gazed at the stars and thought how wonderful it would be if he can travel around the universe and travel to other planets. The stars were like endless possibilities and hopes. They looked peaceful no matter what state of mind the watcher was in.

"So why are you here?" Zoruru inquired.

Zeroro thought for a moment and replied, "I am not quite sure. I thought that I wanted to do something for Keron, but I am not sure anymore."

"I want to be respected and looked upon. I have always been left out, neglected, or forgotten."

"Me too."

"But I thought you have friends," Zoruru recalled that when he and Zeroro were new to Keron Elementary School, Zeroro made friends on the first day. He was standing right behind Zeroro and witnessed Keroro asking if Zeroro want to hang out with him. He felt his chest tightened, a surge of jealousy coming to him.

"Ummm...yeah..but...but"_ But they always forgot him and treated him badly_, Zeroro thought.

They laid there for a few more minutes, then Zoruru suggested that they should go back since it was getting late.

(morning)

"Wake up tadpoles!" Nemumu yelled.

"Are you crazy? It is only four in the morning! I thought the training starts at five today!" Yororo whined, dragging himself off the bed.

"Wake up everyone! Wake up!" Nemumu shook the ones that were still asleep. "This is the daily routine. You wake up four in the morning, then you groom yourself in five minutes. Then you guys go out in a line, remember a line, or that drill sergeant is going to shout at you until you go deaf. Anyway, you guys go line up on the grass field. The drill sergeant will tell you what to do then.

"I made sure all of you woke up today. Tomorrow and then on I will not wake you up. If you don't wake up, then the drill sergeant will make sure you never will."

"Sergeant, were you serious about the drill sergeant?" Yeroro asked.

"Yes, of course," Nemumu replied, then he grinned at the tadpoles' fearful glances. "No, duh! But you are still at the sergeant's mercy. Get used to exaggerations."

"But since the drill sergeant will be training us, then what are you here for?" Yororo asked, almost in a demeaning way.

"Yororo, you better watch your traps. The drill sergeant is like any other drill sergeant, he only teaches the basic military physical training, except that it will be harsher for you guys. And I," Nemumu smiled smugly," am the one who will be teaching assassin magic and other techniques." Then he looked at the clock and leaned back on his bed. " You guys still have a little less than a hour left. So you can either go back to sleep or you can get ready right now. I will be leaving in ten minutes."

"Really? You just woke us up for no reason?" Yororo retorted.

"I woke you guys up so you can get used to the schedule. Yororo, have some respect for your superior." Nemumu shook his head disapprovingly.

Yororo stormed out of the room, muttering under his breath.

"I am not even that bad. Wait till you guys go take a shower today." Nemumu sighed.

"What's wrong with the shower?" Zoruru asked eagerly.

"You will find out."

There was a brief pause, then Zeroro decided to break the silence. "Sergeant, where are you going in twenty minutes?"

"I have training sessions with Captain Jirara."

"You are his student?"

"Who isn't? Everyone is, in one way or another."

Zoruru asked excitedly, "Are you a good fighter then?"

"Of course. Every mentor here is from the elite corps," Nemumu smirked.

"Then how come my brother is not a mentor?"Yeroro asked.

"Because he is on duty right now. I am off duty, I won't be getting any major mission this year. I thought that I might as well as become a mentor to kill some time and earn some extra salary."

"Why won't you be getting more major missions?"

"I have reached the maximum limits. To prevent burnout, we have to take a break." Nemumu glanced at the clock once more and jumped out of his bed. "I better get going, good luck with your first day," and he literally disappeared out of thin air, leaving the trio (Zeroro, Zoruru, and Yeroro) stunned.

The trio exclaimed altogether, "Wow! What was that!"

* * *

**Please review. Thanks. I have the next chapter ready, I will need to find time to upload it. (A lot of homework :( )**


	7. Chapter 6

**I know most people, including myself, don't like OCs since they are unfamiliar. Well, just a little spoiler, the OCs are here only temporarily, for the sole purpose of plot development... **

* * *

Chapter 6: The First Day

"Silence!" hollered the drill sergeant. "If I hear a single peep I will make all of you do extra 100 push ups. Now go run around the whole academy and you come back in twenty minutes. Then do a hundred push ups, sit ups..."

So off they ran. The ones who had come back late were ordered to line up and watch those who had made it on time ate their breakfast. All of late students were the new ones, and they watched them eat as their stomach growled. A few new students had made it on time, including Yeroro, and they smiled smugly and raised their head slightly higher than usual at their hungry peers who were drooling. Finally, the late ones were allowed to get their food, and they rushed to the food carts, only to find out there was nothing left except boxes of keron emergency rations (the green boxes of crackers that appeared in one episode of Kero Zero).

The students had no choice but to eat the crackers, unless they wanted an empty tummy. Actually, they did not have a choice because of a certain sergeant...

"Eat, eat, eat! These are special rations developed by scientists. They are very nutritious (as explained in the same kero zero episode)," the drill sergeant yelled.

Yeroro stayed to watch his friends eat and to taunt them, telling them how delicious the meat, the salad, and the soup were.

Zoruru, munching the crackers, asked Yororo and Zeroro, "Why do you suppose these taste so bad?"

"I guess they taste bad on purpose so we won't eat them unless absolutely necessary or so we won't finish them all at once when in war," Zeroro replied thoughtfully. Being a picky eater, Zeroro was nibbling his crackers.

Noticing that Zeroro was not eating, the drill sergeant came by and said, "Eat those or run faster tomorrow." Zeroro obediently stuffed and gulped down a handful of crackers. The sergeant patted his shoulder and left.

Yeroro looked at Zeroro and decided that it would be fun to tease the weak looking boy. He asked, "Zeroro, how do you like the crackers?"

Zeroro stared at him in surprise, tears welled up in his eyes. Yororo, sitting acrosss from Yeroro, rolled his eyes at Yeroro and then scanned around for the sergeant. "Here, you can have the rest," Yororo said to Yeroro, then he quickly stood up and smashed the rest of his crackers along with the box into Yeroro's face.

Compare to other students, Zeroro was good at various unusual tasks, such as rock climbing, chasing by beasts, and hiding. He had built up his endurance and unusual skills from years of abuse and torture from his "dear" friend.

The students were training on a three floor tall tower.

About twenty five feet away stood another tower of same height. Between them hung a rope, under the rope there hung a net. The students were ordered to climb up the rocky surface of the left tower in order to reach the top. Then they had to get to the other tower using the rope that hung between the two towers. Most of students chose to go on their bellies, legs clamping the rope in between, and arms pulling the rope to move the whole body forward. The sergeant told them that they would have to walk the rope after a few weeks and that these two towers are like kindergarten's playground. Yeroro, after hearing this, quickly rushed forward and cut in front of the student who was supposed to be next.

"Tch, I wonder what that show-off is going to do," whispered Yororo, who was waiting in line with Zoruru and Zeroro. The dril sergeant was going to yell at Yeroro for cutting the line but stopped when he saw him actually walking on the rope, much to his surprise. When Yeroro made it to the other tower, the crowd cheered and applauded.

"Are you an acrobat?" the drill sergeant asked. Cheers from the crowd instantly turned into a bout of laughters. Yeroro turned bright red, and upon seeing this, the drill sergeant quickly smiled and said," I was just joking. Good job, I am so proud of you boy." Yeroro scratched his head and blushed.

The drill sergeant, on his hover craft, flew to the other tower to watch the students over there.

"Hey you over there clumsy boy!" the drill sergeant pointed at a poor boy, "Don't block others and jump." The boy was standing on the edge of the tower, with a belt strapped across his waist and a rope clicked onto the belt. On the edge of the tower attached a wheel with a rope coiled around it. He was supposed to jump off the tower to let his weight pull out more of the rope from the wheel as he descend. The drill sergeant lost his patience and kicked the boy off the tower, with the boy screaming and shrieking like a pig that is about to get butchered.

The rest of boys watched in awe and decided that they would be better off jumping down the tower by themselves than having the sergeant kicked them off.

After the morning training the students dispersed to their classes. They had to take military history, history, math, field medicines, language, and military tactics. Lunch was only half of a hour, then they would to get to their classes again. Their schedule was full until dinner, then they would go take a shower. Team 95 to 100 shared a shower room. The hallway was eeriely quiet and dim, with the echoes of footsteps of team 100.

Zeroro put his hand on the handle of the shower room, ready to open it. He shuddered at what Nemumu had told them earlier. He hesitated and moved his hand away, staring at the door silently.

"Just open the damn door," Yeroro whispered urgently, slightly nudging Zeroro.

Zeroro sighed, placing his hand on the cool metal of the door handle again. "This is weird. There should be at least twenty students here, including us. How come I don't even hear a single peep?"

Yororo rolled his eyes and pushed Zeroro out of the way, "That Nemumu probably exaggerated everything to scare us." Then he yanked the door open.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Shower Room Intruders

The shower room was a long rectangular white room with many shower heads attached on the walls of the two longer sides. On one end was the door that team 100 just opened. On the other end stood a group of older students.

The scene that stood before team 100 shocked them. The freshmen lined up according to teams, one by one, in front of the older students.

"Here you guys are. Come on in and line up. This is team 100, am I correct?" A young, slightly-built Keronian asked, or rather, stated. He was older than the freshmen, but he still had his tail, indicating that he was not yet an adult. Behind him stood two boys around the same age as him; they were smirking in a devilish way. He counted how many freshmen were present and smiled, satisfied that everyone was present.

"We-ll," he drawled, "_we, as a trio, _are going to have some fun today. Welcome to the Keron Assassin Academy, children. Let me introduce myself and my _coworkers. _We are second year students, and we are here to help you, to toughen you up." He looked at his _coworkers _for approval, and they nodded in agreement. Then he continued," This is a long, passed on tradition of this academy. It is a part of training that every student has to endure. Everyday we will be here to 'train' you guys." The boy and his friends sneered.

"How shall we address you then?" a few boys asked, incredulous of the trio.

The leader of the trio snorted and said, "We are not dumb enough to let you guys know our names. Just call us the bathroom intruders. You must defeat us in order to make us leave. Fair enough?"

Several freshmen laughed at the remark, because clearly the freshmen outnumbered the trio by a little more than six times.

"Number does not always determine who wins," the leader said. "It is not as easy as you think. For most of time, students defeat the bathroom intruders in their late second year to third year. In fact, I have never heard of freshmen having defeated the intruders. Some years of students were more unfortunate; nobody could defeat the intruders, and they had to wait for the intruders to graduate to be in peace. Either their intruders were unusually strong or they were pathetically incompetent. The latter one is more likely." Then he let out a laugh. "Anyway, we should start now."

Several freshmen, among them Yeroro, charged toward the intruders. Yeroro swung his fist at the leader; the leader disappeared suddenly and Yeroro's fist smashed into the wall. The freshmen behind him bumped into one another and they all fell onto poor Yeroro.

"Ouch! Get off," they groaned. The leader appeared behind the group of freshmen and jeered. A freshmen quickly got up and attempted to push the leader down, using his body. He failed and smashed his face onto the floor. More freshmen tried to defeat the trio, but all the effort was spent in vain. They finally stopped when they wore out.

"So now we can finally begin our training," the leader smirked. Then he ordered the freshmen to do ridiculous tasks. The freshmen were told to rub some soap on their bellies, get down on the floor on their bellies, and slid on the floor from one end to another then back again, that was quite embarrassing and humiliating for them, but they had to do it anyway in order to take a shower.

So the training continues every day.

Aftermath:

Yeroro got a swollen fist from accidently punching the wall. Sleepy Sergeant Nemumu, who was napping, remarked, "Whoa! Take it easy, it is only the second day and you've already gotten yourself injured!" Yeroro looked at Nemumu sheepishly and then got dragged to the nurse station. There, on the record of injury incidences, Yeroro wrote "accidentally punched a wall." He reported the freshmen hazing to Nemumu, hoping that it would stop. The next day they found out that the drill sergeant will be watching over them, which was rather awkward. The sergeant left them alone after several days had passed, and the "trainers" were back again. Nemumu looked pretty useless and was always dozing off; contradicting the epic rumor about him, of how he had miraculously survived the massacre of his whole unit and how he might be a possible successor of Captain Jirara, the top instructor of the assassins and Keron's best assassin.

* * *

**I promise you a longer chapter next time.**


	9. Chapter 8

**I promised a longer chapter, so here it is...**

* * *

Chapter 8: An Unknown Part of History

There were about thirty students sitting inside a classroom. Yororo, sitting behind Zeroro and partially hidden by Zeroro's big head, was snoring away quietly in the class, not to mention that there was a bubble coming out and shrinking in to his left nostril. Yeroro was sitting next to Yororo and watching the bubble in amusement. Zoruru, who sat next to Zeroro and in front of Yeroro, was doodling on his textbook and yawning for non-stop. They were sitting in their history class, more specifically, military history. While his friends were minding their own business, Zeroro's attention was fixed on his teacher, absorbed in the story that his teacher was telling:

"So the Keron Army you see right now is for the whole planet Keron. Well, back then, before the Third Keronian War, there used to be countries. Countries with their own armies."

Upon hearing this, a few murmurs arose and confusions were written on the faces of students. They knew from previous history classes that there were countries; it was the last sentence that had puzzled them.

"Shhh~! Quiet down," the teacher hushed the students, then he continued," The third Keronian war was actually a series of wars fought on Keron. Most of you already know about the war with the Niganians (a made up alien race by me. Snake like, but much more fearsome than the Vipers, which look kind of stupid). It was a trigger point for the Keronian countries to unite. But it didn't come easily; the leaders didn't just come together and work together, in fact, before the Niganians came, the countries were fighting against each other. When the Niganians came, they were forced to work together and became allies. It didn't work out in the beginning and Keron was almost conquered; then the turning point came and the smallest army, you didn't hear that wrong, it was the smallest army of that time that took out all other leaders who disagreed with them and established the present day Keron Army," the teacher paused, allowing the info to sink in. Then he cleared his throat and continued, " Now, how did the smallest army took out all other stronger armies' leaders?"

The students murmured look at each other with confusion.

The teacher smiled, his eyes shone a weird gleam, and he whispered dramatically, "The smallest army was from the nation with the most skilled and fearsome assassins and the most brilliant minds; however great it was, it had always been forgotten and taken advantage of by bigger countries. Nobody expected it to lash out. The leaders who disagreed were all massacred overnight by its elite assassin team."

The students stared at the teacher in disbelief, taking in what the teacher had just told them.

Then the bell rang and the students rushed out of the classroom, and soon the hallway was filled with boisterous chatters and laughters, as if the students had already forgotten the grim history they just learned. However, for Zeroro, his teacher's story still lingered on his mind and his teacher's voice echoed in his ears. He wondered what happened exactly and who were those assassins.

That night Zeroro told Zoruru about his question as they lay on the rooftop (the platform type, not the slanted one) of the dorms, watching stars. They had been watching stars together every night since the first day. There, they practiced assassin magic and techniques and shared their thoughts; they talked about girls, classes, teachers, and their future. Sometimes they cussed on top of their lungs (Zoruru did most of the cussing; Zeroro had been taught not to cuss by his mother since he was small and he was obedient) and then ran as fast as their short legs could carry them back to their dorm. Then they would swiftly but quietly enter their room and flopped onto their bed, hiding under their blankets and giggling until they could not catch their breath.

"Well, let's find out more about it then," Zoruru said. He was laying on the ground with his hands crossed behind his head, so carefree.

Zeroro was sitting next to Zoruru. He narrowed his eyes and stared at him and laughed, "How? You know that most of the books in the school library cover only as much as what our teacher told us. They probably don't want us to know anyway."

Zoruru got up and stared straight into Zeroro's eyes. He said coldly, "Idiot! I am talking about the confidential record room. There are files of every assassin of Keron Army and documents on wars, battles, weapons, and other conflicts. It is close to the library. Normally, only higher ranked officers or the top enlisted assassins have access to those info." He paused and turned around to look behind his back. Then he turned back and whispered, "You know what I mean, right?"

Zeroro was staring at Zoruru, sitting still as a log. He was not sure if he had heard him right and was lost in his own thoughts. Zoruru suddenly grabbed Zeroro's face and slapped his cheeks, making Zeroro snapped out. Zeroro rubbed his sore cheeks and replied, "But we are going to get expelled if we are caught. And we are probably gonna get caught."

Zoruru gave an evil grin. "Zeroro, aren't we assassins-to-be? Assassins collect intelligence. How do you become a top assassin if you freak out at every little thing?"

Zeroro just stared at Zoruru, then he sighed. "Alright, then how should we do it?"

"We are going to drop in from the ceiling."

The AC vent was cold, dry, and crowded even for a Keronian. Zeroro felt his skin cool and his limbs a little numb from the coldness. The two tadpoles dared not to make any sound since the air vent is long and it diverges to other rooms and will echo any sound. They crept slowly, with Zoruru leading the way. Every few feet or so they would come across a dimly lighted air vent opening and they would peered into it to see if they had reached their destination. Finally, they saw a big room with many rows of file cabinets and book shelves and decided that this was the right room. First, they removed the lid of the vent. Then Zoruru stuck his head out to scan the surroundings for any security system. He dropped in and flipped over in midair, landing on the floor gracefully like a cat and without a sound. Zeroro followed Zoruru and returned the lid to its place. Then he flipped and landed too.

"This seem to be too simple for a room like this," Zeroro muttered in disbelief. Unbeknownst to them, there were a few infrared ray detectors installed upon the walls. Zeroro and Zoruru quickly went to the cabinet labeled "wars" and started to rummage through each drawer. There, Zeroro found a few big, heavy binders for Third Keron War. Every piece of paper was covered in the glossy protective plastic. Zeroro picked a binder and flipped to the page with the tab labeled "assassinations." He skimmed the page and his eyes stopped dead at a paragraph. His blood went cold and he felt his hands sweating, cold sweat. Zoruru, noticing that he had suddenly froze, shook his arm and asked urgently, "What's wrong?"

Zeroro quickly showed the page to Zoruru and pointed out the paragraph: "Leaders of different armies were murdered overnight by a small team of assassins, consisting of ten Keronians ... Corporal Jirara. All but Jirara mysteriously died in various ways soon after the assassination. It was rumored that after fusing with other countries' armies, a mutiny happened and the leader of the team was killed, causing unrest and struggle for power among the members. It was common for military personnel to kill off their rivals during that time period, also known as the Period of Unrest."

A small beeping sound went off. Someone was running in the hallway toward the room. The lock of the front entrance turned. Zeroro gasped and quickly closed the binder, shoved it back into the drawer, and shut the drawer. He shifted his gaze to the air vent opening and suddenly realized that neither he nor Zoruru could jump up high enough to reach the ceiling. He desperately looked at Zoruru for help, his eyes widened in panic. The lock clicked and the front door swung open. A voice came, "Who's there?"

A dim circle of light projected from a flashlight could be seen moving here and there on every surface it hit. Zoruru quickly pulled Zeroro and ran to the nearest row of bookshelves, cowering and hiding in the bottom shelf next to the books. The light was coming closer and closer, and their hearts were pounding harder and harder. The holder of the flashlight made a turn at the row of bookshelves they were hiding in. His light shone to left then to right, searching for its prey. Then, right before the light stop on their faces, Zeroro screamed out of fear, "Ah~!"

The holder of flashlight screamed too and fell onto the floor. He accidentally dropped his flashlight, which happened to clicked off when it hit the floor.

Zeroro yanked Zoruru with him and dashed out of the room from the front entrance. They ran for their life in the hallway, panting hard and faces flushed. Shouts and yells could now be heard and the rushing footsteps of Keronians trying to locate the scream. They ran and made a turn when they heard someone coming toward their way, but it proved to be a big mistake. They were met by the dead-end of the hallway. Their pursuer's footsteps could be heard to approach. Then right before their pursuer made a turn for them, somebody suddenly snatched them up. The world was spinning and became a blur for a split second, then their flushed face were suddenly hit by the cold breeze of the night and the shiny stars, laying on the black velvet of the night, welcomed their eyes.

* * *

**Find out what happened in the next chapter. **


	10. Chapter 9

**To those who have reviewed: thank you for letting me know that you are still reading this; and to those who are still reading this story: thank you for your continuous support. This is a long chapter, and it will be more OC-orientated. I hope it will help you see the OC not just as another name. I apologize for the lack of physical description of the OCs, but I believe that it is more important to know who they are than how they look like (just another lame excuse for my poor artistic skills; please bear with me). However, as I have said before, the OCs are here only temporarily and don't worry, I will keep my promise. There may be a M-rate part, so I will warn you beforehand. **

* * *

**Chapter 9: That Fateful Night**

Zeroro and Zoruru were confused and dizzy. They realized that they are now outside, laying on the ground of their favorite rooftop. But why were they there puzzled them.

A voice came behind them and soon everything became clear " Are you guys all right?" Nemumu asked.

Zeroro and Zoruru realized that it was Nemumu who had used assassin magic to teleport them out. Zeroro, ashamed, immediately sat up to apologize and tried to explain what happened exactly, but Nemumu interrupted him and told him that he knew everything. Much to their surprise, he did not give them a lecture or even get mad at them.

Zeroro thought Nemumu had followed them, but Nemumu shook his head and told him that he would understand how if he became a top assassin himself. Nemumu lay down beside Zoruru, who was still lying on the floor, and he looked up to the stars. Seeing that Nemumu had no intention of leaving soon, Zeroro lay down next to Nemumu. He felt compelled to start a conversation. He felt an affinity to Nemumu after he had rescued them. He did not like him at first for he showed very little emotions, often act indifferent, sometimes even reluctant, and dozed off too often. Zeroro sometimes doubted Nemumu's ability; he dozed off too much and seemed too unattentive to be a great assassin. Yet Zeroro heard great rumors about him, and the most famous rumor that particularly interest him was how he survived the killing of a whole unit. He suppressed his curiousity since he did not think he had known Nemumu well enough to ask such a question, one that could possibly evoke much grief and bad memories. So he decided to forget it temporarily and ask other questions he had on mind.

"Sergeant, why does Jirara seem to be... um...quite important? Like, why is he always with the Colonel?" Zeroro asked innocently, recalling what he had seen on the file.

Nemumu eyed him suspiciously, wondering what had suddenly gotten him to ask such a question. "Well, from what I have heard, Jirara has been around for a long time, for so long that he is extremely valuable. He is like a walking history. His experience cannot be compared, the Colonel and even the generals ask him for advice. Sometimes the assassins do not or are reluctant to listen to the officers, especially the younger ones, because they are so inexperienced and so dumb that they don't know what they're talking about. Jirara used to be enlisted, and all assassins in the Keron Army was his student, so they had more respect for him."

"Then why is he still a captain?"

"Look, he did not get his commission from officer academy, officer training school, or officer training program. He does not even have a degree, and one cannot attain a rank higher than captain without a degree or at least having attended an officer training program. He was not even meant to be a commissioned officer in the first place. He got direct commision on the battlefield; I heard that he was reluctant but had to take it anyway because his commander got killed, his men needed a leader, and his commander's boss made him take it. He had to save himself and his men. Jirara is much much older than his peers, other captains, because he was commisioned much later since he had never attended an officer training program and he never got booted out. Normally, if an officer does not get promoted in the same time as the rest of his tier, he gets booted out. Well, the Keron Army would never boot Jirara out, and in fact the army is keeping him, even though he is so old that he should already be retired."

"The army can do that?" Zoruru suddenly asked, surprising everyone since he had been so quiet for the past few minutes.

"They can't and can, especially if you are commissioned. It is against the rules of course. If the army wants you, it will get you and keep you. Period. Unless you desert, then that is an entirely different matter." Nemumu yawned, his eyelids more drooped than usual. "Any more questions before I fall asleep?" He asked lazily.

Since Nemumu had asked, Zeroro yearned to ask the question even more. Then he decided that he could no longer contain it and finally spat it out, "Nemumu, how did you survive the wipe out of your whole unit? What really happened?" Zeroro asked with a hint of admiration and yet with a hint of fear that the question is inappropriate. Zoruru, like Zeroro, was watching Nemumu intently.

To his surprise, Nemumu did not even change his lazy expression. He turned to face Zeroro and grinned, "I can tell you, but then I will have to shoot you."

Zeroro took that as a "no" and decided that he did not want to hear another lame joke. "Serge, I am going to sleep. Good night." Zoruru stood up, brushing dust off his butt, getting ready to follow Zeroro back to their room.

Nemumu had sat up and was watching them leave. He suddenly felt a pang of regret. He had not told a single soul of what really happened on that fateful night, and he yearned for someone to really listen to him, to learn the truth. Nobody had bothered to ask him. He wanted to clear things up, to let them know that he was not epic and that he was no hero. Nemumu jumped up. "Wait!" The word came out sounding restrained, as if the speaker was hesitant and was trying to choke back the word when it was halfway out.

Zeroro and Zoruru turned their head simutaneously, looking at Nemumu with confusion. Even at such a dark place, they could make out Nemumu's suddenly changed countenace. His eyes were no longer droopy, they were wide open. As Zeroro and Zoruru approached him, they felt that something deep and hidden was pouring out from him. His face was restrained, but his eyes gave all away; the windows of the soul were filled with vehement emotions. Zeroro and Zoruru stopped in front of him, looking at him timidly.

"Follow me," Nemumu beckoned them, walking toward one of the walls of the rooftop platform. They followed him nervously, wondering what he wanted to show them. Nemumu got out a flashlight (don't ask me from where) and turned it on, directing the light onto the wall. They saw many messy carvings, they did not notice them before. Carvings by students, not the neat and professional carvings. Names. Years. The carvings of names and years. He squatted down, searching for something on the wall. Then he ran his finger over a name for a few times, his eyes distant.

"He was supposed to be the number one of our year, but he died, and I replaced him even though I didn't deserve it," he said softly and then he sat down.

Zeroro and Zoruru sat down next to him and just stared at him, wondering how that was relevant to their question, but then Nemumu continued, "My unit, about 20-30 people, decided to camp in a forest to pass that night ...** (here comes the M-rated)**

_There were a few tents on a small empty field in the middle of a forest. The soldiers were camping there to pass that night so they could continue their mission tomorrow, little did they know that it would be their last night. Inside one of the tents, Nemumu snuggled inside a sleeping bag with his friend. He stirred suddenly and gently nudged his friend, "I wanna go pee."_

_His friend nodded sleepily, his face so relaxed and peaceful. He crawled out of the sleeping bag then got out of the tent. The air outside was extremely humid, so humid that it was foggy. He felt like he was suffocating with all the humid, warm air pressing against every inch of him. Although Keronians like humidity, the air was a little too warm. It was very dark outside with only the stars shining, for the planet they were on does not have any moons and the soldiers were afraid of setting up a campfire because it would give their location away. The soldier who was on guard nodded to him, and he told him that he is just going to pee. He went into the forest and hid in a bush to do his business. _

_When he was done, he heard some footsteps, no, a lot of footsteps, coming toward their campsite. He froze, still squatted, then he peered out from the bush timidly. He saw the soldier who was guarding stood up and went into a tent to alert the soldiers inside. Then he ran out of that tent and continued to alert other soldiers. But it was all too late. The enemies had ambushed them. The enemies' machine guns went off and soon the air was filled with screamings and yellings and sound of explosions. The originally dark night was lit up by the gunfire and the numerous, small explosions. The Keronians were rendered defenseless and out in the open. Some tried to seek refuge in the forest but were shot down by the bullets that were flying everywhere. Nemumu was watching everything from the safety of the bush in the forest. He felt his heart pounding and his ears exploding. He wanted to come out and help his comrades, but he knew that it would be futile. The enemy vastly outnumbered them; they were very unfortunate to happen to meet a company of the enemy that was migrating. There were at least a hundred of them, if not more. Then he heard his friend screamed. He watched helplessly as his friend being dragged on the ground by the enemy. His friend did an assassin magic and killed the alien who was dragging him, but then another came and slammed his face on the ground. Nemumu stood up quickly and fired an assassin magic in a desperate attempt to save his friend and although it did help his friend gain his footing, it brought many bullets firing toward himself. He quickly ducked but was not fast enough. The bullets had grazed his arms and legs and he was probably shot. It hurt, but he did not dare to flinch or make a sound. He watched helplessly as his friend struggled in his enemy's grasp. Then he saw the leader of his unit, all bloody, threw a smoke bomb as a last resort to distract the enemies. It did not help, there were just too many of them. Everything was very chaotic, bullets were flying everywhere and grenades were exploding here and there. The soldiers could not even tell whether they had shot their comrades or their enemies. Then Nemumu saw his friend ran and fell, then crawled desperately toward the dense bushes he was hiding in, but someone had spotted him and shot him. His friend wriggled and shrieked in pain and then more bullets came to him. Then he stopped completely, his body limp on the grass. Nemumu wanted to cry and scream but he did not dare. _

_The firings began to cease and the smoke began to thin as the rest of his comrades fell. Then he heard the enemies search through the remains of their campsite in hopes of finding some supplies, weapons, and intelligence there. He knew that they probably could not find any because his unit was sent out by his company to open up this area, and most of the supplies and weapons were still with their company's temporary base. He wanted to jump out and attack his enemies by surprise, to revenge, but it would be dumb to do so. So he just lay there, on the pool of urine that had possibly saved him, not knowing what to do. He peered out from the bush, spying on the enemies. He could not see anything but he could hear them discuss where they would set up their temporary base. Then they began to move on and after a few hours, everything quieted down. The sky began to light up. He could make out the charred remains of his campsite and the bodies of his dead comrades and enemies. Dirt was mingled with the red of blood. His friend's body was lying not far away in front of him, one or two limbs were missing, possibly blown off by the grenades. He could not even tell who some of the bodies were. They were mutilated beyond recognition. Nothing glorious, nothing beautiful, nothing like what happen in stories. _

_He thought he was finally safe at last, until he heard someone muttered, "Let's clear out this place." Alarmed, Nemumu bolted for his life. He ran and ran, then he tripped over the twisted branches of a fallen tree. He felt the air around him getting sucked in from behind him, then he turned his head around and saw a huge flame coming. He thought everything was over._

_Then he woke up, and he was not sure whether being alive was a blessing or a curse. He had fell into a deep, dark hole right before the hungry flame of explosion had the chance to lick his skin, and a big tree had fallen over the hole, sealing its entrance. He was laying among various animal carcasses. How ironic that he was saved by a trap. He could not see the carcasses because it was so dark, but he could feel their bones brushing and grazing against his skin as he shift around. Then he froze. He suddenly realized that he had become deaf, possibly from the sound and the impact of that massive explosion. He snapped his fingers close to his ears, and it confirmed that he could not hear a thing. He began to cry, out of the terrible loneliness of being inside the dark pit. No one would ever find him and he would become one of those carcasses laying beside him. He could not see or hear a thing, and for a being that was so used to having those two senses, it was a horrifying experience. He was injured and could not get himself out. He would bleed to death from the wounds he had received. He almost wished for the enemies to come back and kill him just to end his lonely and miserable waiting for death to come to him. Then he thought about Keron and decided that perhaps there was still hope. He became drowsy, and he did not know how many days had passed until someone found him. The only thing he remembered before falling into a long induced coma was telling his superior that the enemy planned to set up a base in a certain place. By the time he woke up, the war had ended with a temporary peace treaty, and he, had been branded a hero._

"I became a hero for taking a leak in midnight," Nemumu whispered. He seemed more relaxed but the ineffable grief lingered in his eyes. Zeroro was wailing loudly and Zoruru, who also had tears in his eyes, had to hush him.

Nemumu continued, "I was a coward. Just sitting back in the bush."

Zeroro protested, "But you could not do anything, and you tried to save your friend. And you told your boss the location of the enemy's base, which ended the war!"

Nemumu ran his finger over his friend's name again. Then he stood up and said to Zeroro, "I just can't accept the fact that I had outlived them simply by luck. But life goes on, so here I am. Now stop crying like a baby."

Zeroro nodded and wiped away his tears with the back of his hands. The night sky was beautiful with the stars decorating it. Everything was so peaceful, it was hard to imagine that there were wars going on at that moment in elsewhere. Nemumu walked over to the wall, watching the sleeping campus of the academy. He suddenly felt lighter, a burden had been lifted off his shoulder. Perhaps for the first time since the incident, he forgave himself for being alive.

* * *

**This chapter is more dramatic than usual, for those who doesn't like drama... A bit of emotional.**

**I hope this chapter has helped you know the OC more as a character with personality, rather than just another random name. Correct me if I have made some mistakes (I typed the story on my phone and the autocorrect sometimes drives me nuts! Pekopon became Propping). You're welcomed to give me suggestions, but please be respectful and use proper grammar and spellings, at least clear enough so I can comprehend. There may be more actions later, so tell me if I should up the rating.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Dark Energy**

"Most of creatures in this universe are so-called dark creatures, or creatures that possess dark energy. It doesn't mean that all are evil just because of the word 'dark'," Nemumu explained. He was introducing Zeroro and his friends to assassin magic.

Zeroro thought it is weird how just a few days ago he had learned about Nemumu's soft side and past and now it felt like that had never happened. Nemumu was calm and at ease, and he acted the same way as before.

"Zeroro?" Nemumu called.

Zeroro scratched his head and quickly replied, "I am sorry!"

"Stop day-dreaming. So anyway, everyone possess a different level of dark energy and varying ability to summon and use those energy. It is mostly hereditary, though sometimes mutations occur as well," continued Nemumu, "All assassins must have a higher than usual amount of dark energy and the ability to use the energy, in order to do assassin magic.

"However, those two qualities are not enough. Personality must match as well. Assassins must be calm, patient, observant, cautious, and sly. They also must possess an innate concealment of energy. Or in other words, they lack existence without trying. Not a great thing in the real world but very useful in assassin's world." Nemumu then stood up and said, "Now, today, we are going to learn to form an energy ball in our palm. This is a basic thing that most of Keronians, if not all, can do ... " and he continued to explain how.

Yeroro, Yororo, Zeroro, and Zoruru were told to stand in a circle with Nemumu. Then they began to concentrate hard as soon as Nemumu said to start. Nemumu's energy ball flared up in his palm the second he said "begin." Yeroro, after a few seconds, was able to form an energy ball as well. Soon, everyone was able to do so and was excited and amazed. Everyone except Zeroro. He stood there, not knowing what to do, his head hung low, looking down at his feet. Nemumu noticed him and assured him, "It's okay. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it." He patted his shoulder, encouraging him to try again.

Zeroro concentrated hard, as hard as he can, for about a minute. Nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked at Nemumu for help, his eyes shiny and watery. Nemumu reassured him and told him to not to get frustrated and to be patient. Then he asked Zeroro to practice until he gets it, and he went on to teach other students.

Zeroro watched his teammates wistfully as they learned new skills everyday. He was lonely to practice by himself. He felt forgotten, invisible, but sometimes Zoruru turned around to look at him and cast him a friendly smile or wave at him. Then he knew that he was remembered. Occasionally, other instructors came by to watch. They would always ask him if he was alone because he had gotten in trouble, and he would shake his head in embarrassment. Some instructors were more curious and would went on to ask him for the real reason. He would then tell them that he could not do the basic yet, feeling more and more humiliated each time another instructor asked him.

He practiced every night on the rooftop with Zoruru. Zoruru accompanied him voluntarily, and Zeroro was thankful for that.

One afternoon, Zeroro and Zoruru were on the training ground of first year students, staying after their training with Nemumu was over. Zeroro tried and failed many more times. Then he sat down on the floor, defeated. He said to Zoruru, "Maybe I just don't have the innate ability to do assassin magic."

"But Nemumu said every Keronian can do that," Zoruru said, refering to forming an energy ball.

"Maybe I am different."

"Zeroro, are you going to continue training or not? It's getting late."

"No. You can go. Thanks anyway."

Zoruru looked at Zeroro one more time, waiting for him to come with him. After a few seconds or so, he left, realizing that Zeroro wanted to stay.

Zeroro sighed and muttered to himself, "I am just no good. Maybe I am not the right material for assassins."

"Maybe you think too much. Maybe you need to let go of those negative emotions you harbor in your mind," a low, cold voice came from behind. Zeroro jumped up and swerved around quickly. The owner of the voice was watching him, three glowing red dots piercing through him and scanning every inch of him.

"C-Captain Jirara?" Zeroro stuttered and saluted in surprise.

"Maybe you should believe in yourself, Zeroro," Jirara said quietly. His big, black cloak float gently with the gentle breeze. The leaves rustled in the background, protesting at the awkward silence. It was quite unnerving to see Captain Jirara, with his penetrating and glowing red "eyes" and sharp metal claws. One cannot read Jirara because he does not have real eyes, he wears a mask, and his voice cold enough to give any living creature a chill.

Zeroro nodded rather stiffly. Then Captain Jirara just stood there, watching. Zeroro froze, thoughts racing through his mind. He didn't know what he was supposed to do and why Jirara had stayed. He shifted his feet awkwardly. Jirara, sensing that the youngster felt unease in his presence, disappeared out of sight. Zeroro sighed in relief, unaware of the fact that Jirara had concealed himself on the dense leaves of a tree.

Zeroro took in a deep breath and tried once more. This time he followed Jirara's advice. He stretched out his right hand, opened his hand with his palm facing up. He gazed at his palm, waitig for a miracle. After a few, unusually long seconds, a blue energy ball flared up spontaneously, taking Zeroro by surprise.

"You did it."

Zeroro turned toward Jirara and smiled under his mask. His face glowed with pride and happiness. He blushed and stuttered, "Th-Thank you!"

Then in a blink of eye, Jirara disappeared, leaving the youngster in awe. Zeroro later wondered how Jirara had learned his name. He slowly walked to the cafeteria, his tummy growling loudly. He felt accomplished today.

* * *

**About aliens being dark creature, I remember it being mentioned in the episode in which Alissa Southerncross first appeared. However, I do not watch the English dubbed version so I am not sure if there are some differences. Letting you know what is coming ahead: this story takes on a more serious tone and will get sadder as it progresses. **


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: End of First Year**

The hallways of the dorms were noisy and filled with students, luggages in their hands. The school year had ended, and the students were excited to go home for two weeks. Only two weeks because they had to attend summer training.

In room 100, the students were packing their stuff. Zeroro asked his roomates if they are coming back next year.

"Definitely," Yeroro replied.

"I am, if you are," Zoruru said, which made Zeroro blushed.

"Nah," Yororo replied curtly.

The other three stopped what they were doing and stared at Yororo.

"What?" Yororo asked.

"Why?" the other three asked.

Yororo looked out from the window and thought for a moment. Then he said, "This is not for me."

"Why?" Zeroro asked.

"I don't think I want that kind of life. You know, you have to sacrifice your time and yourself to do that job. I don't want that, I can help Keron in other ways and still be myself," Yororo said uncomfortably, looking down at his feet.

Then Yeroro asked, "Why did you come here in the first place?"

"My dad was an assassin, and he died soon after I was born. I want to make him proud, but my mom was sad about it. Plus I don't really like this anyway so I might just join other branches."

The four students went back packing their stuff again, a stubborn silence lingered in the air.

"Well? Yororo said after he had finished packing, his bag in his hand. The others turned toward him and approached him. He extended his free hand to them. Then each one gave him a final handshake. "Let's resonate," he suggested.

"Yoroyoro-"

"Yeroyero-"

"Zerozero-"

"Zoruzoru-"

"Nemunemu-"

"Whoa!" the students jumped, "When did you get here?"

"What? I can't come to say goodbye to my student?" Nemumu accused.

Zoruru whispered, "He just ruined it. Everything was so serious until he came."

The students had to clean out their rooms by noon. Soon everyone was standing in front of the dorms, waiting to be picked. Zeroro watched Yororo leave, and he wondered if he would ever see him again.


	13. Chapter 12

**I uploaded two chapters this time. So go back to read chapter 11 if you haven't. Again, thanks to those who have reviewed.**

* * *

**Part 2: Second Year and Third Year**

**Chapter 12: Brothers**

Zeroro had a great vacation. He went to another planet with his family and bought some Pekopon food in the Galaxy Train Station. He had fun. His heart was light and his footsteps easy and swift. He was half walking and half skipping on the hallway, humming to himself, heading toward room 100, his dorm room. It's still the same room, except without Yororo.

Zeroro made a turn at the end of the hallway and the door of his room came into sight. It was opened a little, with Nemumu and Zoruru peering into the crevice. Zeroro halted right behind them and almost started to speak, but Zoruru cut him off, "Sh-"

Zeroro tilted his head. Then he squeezed himself under Zoruru, peering into the room. He saw Yeroro.

"I won't quit just because you want me to!" Yeroro yelled.

"Please, Yeroro. You don't understand. I don't want you to suffer like I did. You can be any other thing you want, but just not this," a Keronian with a lower voice said.

Zeroro, Zoruru, and Nemumu could not see who the speaker was from where they were standing, but Nemumu whispered to the other two, "That's Yeroro's older brother."

"I don't care. You are just afraid that I will become better than you!" shouted Yeroro.

"It's not like that. Mother and father will be worried. Do this for them, not for me. Be around for them," Yeroro's older brother pleaded.

"I don't care. Just go away. I don't want to see you again!" Yeroro screeched. Then his brother looked at him once more and shook his head. He pushed the door open and stopped, mildly surprised by the three who were watching the whole argument.

Nemumu just nodded to him in acknowledgement, and he sighed then walked away. Yeroro, too, stormed out of the room.

Nemumu, Zoruru, and Zeroro entered their room after the brothers had left. Zeroro thought about his younger brother, wondering what he was doing at the moment.

Zoruru spoke first, "I think Yeroro's brother overreacted."

"He has every reason to be worried, with the escalating tension with the Niganians," Nemumu said, defending Yeroro's brother.

"What does that mean?" Zeroro asked worriedly.

"Well, we might be going to another war soon. Probably a few battles here and there," Nemumu replied lazily.

"But are we, the students, going?" Zoruru asked urgently.

"When Keron needs more soldiers, then yes, you will be going. You will have to fight when you reach a certain age, about the time you become a fourth year student. You may or may not be a tadpole by then, but you still have to fight if more soldiers are needed. My year was unfortunate enough to have a war broke out right when we were fourth-year students," Nemumu trailed off.

There was a persisting silence between them. Then Zeroro asked, "But isn't Yeroro's brother kind of betraying Keron if he tried to persuade his brother to not join?"

"Infantries with young tadpoles, fine. Assassins, heck no! Younger ones get coerced into telling secrets more easily than older ones if captured. They are just more vulnerable. Also more soft-hearted and less cautious, which makes them easier to kill," Nemumu replied, there was an edge in his voice.

"Sergeant?" Zeroro asked timidly.

"Yeah?" Nemumu turned his head toward Zeroro.

"Why are we constantly at war? I mean, look, Keron invests a lot in the military."

Nemumu sighed and said, "The planet Keron is not located at a secluded corner of the universe. We are surrounded by many civilizations that are advanced like us. Allies and enemies alike. Plus we invade other planets a lot."

"What does it have to do with invasions?"

"Sometimes we fight not to defend Keron but to defend the planets that we've conquered," Nemumu paused, then he continued, "Though some planets are vital for Keron's safety. They act as barriers. We put weapons on them and blow the enemies before they have the chance to come near Keron. Other planets are for resources or just for the sake of invasion."

"Serge? Why can't Yeroro's brother quit if he does not like his job?" Zeroro asked.

"He can't. He doesn't hate his job. Just doesn't want his bro to go through hardships," Nemumu replied.

"Why can't he? It's not the army again, is it?"

"It's not all because of Keron Army, there is something else. He needs the job. Once you've been an assassin for a while, you become different. You can't get used to a normal life. They have a hard time to transition back to the peaceful world. And they've seen too much ..." Nemumu trailed off, mumbled something to himself, then he fell asleep.

Zoruru said to Zeroro, "Did he just fall asleep?"

"I guess so," replied Zeroro, and together, they left their room, leaving Nemumu alone.

* * *

**This chapter and the previous one are mainly dialogues, for building up plot background. Lack of sentence variations make this story kind of boring. Sorry about that.**

**This story is not gory or sexual. It's not the usual fanfic that particularly emphasizes on gore. I am not sure how I should say it... Well, it's not the usual kind of scariness based on violence. However, some ideas and implications might be disturbing and dark. So be prepared, and please don't get too sad, too scared, or too disturbed (it might not even be that disturbing to you, depends on your tolerance). Enough author's notes. You will understand as the story progresses.**


End file.
